Montanero, Big Bad John was/is a great song, But, i believe that it does not qualify as early Rap because it doesn't really rhyme. Albeit, it's not bad blank verse. Dylan's early anthems all rhyme. He really was more a poet who set his poems to music, as opposed to a lyricist who put his words to music. Google the lyrics to The Times They Are A Changing" and "Subterranean Homesick Blues". I think that will illustrate the difference. ( P.S. Now I'm laughing at myself. All of a sudden I'm a geezer music critic. Hope you guys don't mind.)

Influences on music go further back than most people know. Most things that we, initially, believe are original, are usually an evolution of something tried long before. The real difference between rap and other songs is that it is spoken, with music. Many songs begin as poems, and are changed to fit a style and be more like what is marketable at that current time. As a style, speaking with music is not new. I have heard such things in ceremonies of primitive tribes, though how well they rhymed is debatable.

"Big John" does rhyme, by the way.

Favorite classical (Baroque) - J. S. Bach (Art of the Fugue and Toccata and Fugue)

Favorite classical (classical) - Mozart (Symphony No. 25 in G minor) Verdi's Requiem

Favorite classical (Romance) - A lot. Modest Mussorgsky and Gustav Holst in particular. Holst was one of the few classical composers who knew how to use low brass. Everybody else either relegated them to long tones, percussion, or ignored them (Beethoven's 5th has a 500+ bar rest in the first movement).

Favorite classical (modern) - Copland

Favorite big band - Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey.

Favorite jazz/blues instrumental - B.B. King, Muddy Water, Howlin Wolf, noir jazz / cool jazz (Miles Davis)

Favorite Jazz Vocal - Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee

Favorite rock - Toto, Bon Jovi, Tina Turner, GnR, anything with a beat that gets your blood racing

Favorite metal - Nightwish, AC/DC, Metallica

Favorite other - Two Steps from Hell, Hans Zimmer (I consider him our generations Sergei Prokofiev), Steve Jablonsky, Basil Poledouris.

World music: Taiko Drummers (Japan)

In case you haven't noticed it, my music is either big and bombastic, or sports a definite personality

I almost forgot: Traditional African music makes heavy use of polyrhythms. The overly simplistic beats on rap has no musical connection. Rap, from where I stand, originated as an attempt to make beat poetry macho.

Montanero: OK , I looked up the lyrics to Big John. They mostly rhythm. You were mostly correct. I was mostly wrong. But it still doesn't compute for me. Maybe it's the lack of social / political/ sexual commentary that I mostly attribute to rap. But you have a fair point.

MarkR, great selection. I would include some Native American flute music as well. No particular artist, but everything from South American Pan Flute to North American. I don't know why, but I love it.

Acropolis5, No issues. It is not about right or wrong, music evolves over a longer period than most people think. It is always going in new directions, but it all has deep roots. I love the variety and creativity of most all of it. There have even been some rap songs I liked, but I don't like anything (movies, books, music) that glorifies negative behaviors. Some music is political/social commentary, some is just trying to see how far off the deep end they can go. It is not just rap that does that.